HeckingGerman The surname "Hecking" is a German language surname, likely of topographic origin. It is thought to derive from the Middle High German word "hecke" or "hegge", meaning "hedge". This suggests that individuals with this surname may have originally lived near a hedge or boundary... [more]
HeckmanDutch Topographic name for someone living near a fence or gate from Middle Dutch "heck". Altered form of German Heckmann.
HedrickGerman (Americanized) This name has a very obscure origin. With the name being of German origin but with notably more people living in England. It means, "Combatant ruler/Ruler of the heathland
HeilandGerman South German: from Middle High German heilant ‘savior’, ‘Christ’, presumably either a name given to someone who had played the part of Christ in a mystery play or an occupational name for a healer, from Middle High German heilen ‘to heal’, ‘save’.
HeinmäeEstonian Heinmäe is an Estonian surname meaning "hay hill".
HeinsooEstonian Heinsoo is an Estonian surname meaning "hay swamp".
HeinveeEstonian Heinvee is an Estonian surname meaning "hay water".
HellandNorwegian The Old Norse name element -land meaning "country, land" combined with either Old Norse hella "flat rock" or hellir "cave". ... [more]
HellbomSwedish From Swedish häll, a type of flat rock, and bom "barrier, boom".
HemsleyEnglish English: habitational name from either of two places in North Yorkshire called Helmsley. The names are of different etymologies: the one near Rievaulx Abbey is from the Old English personal name Helm + Old English leah ‘wood’, ‘clearing’, whereas Upper Helmsley, near York, is from the Old English personal name Hemele + Old English eg ‘island’, and had the form Hemelsey till at least the 14th century
HenaresSpanish Derived from the Celtic form of "brave". Also is the name of many towns (Alcala de Henares, Espinosa de Henares, Tortola de Henares...) and a river
HendaiaBasque (Rare) From the name of a commune (Hendaye in French) in southwestern France, of uncertain etymology. Possibly from Basque handi "big, large, great" and ibi "ford" or ibai "river", though this structure would not be grammatically correct... [more]
HensleyEnglish Probably a habitational name from either of two places in Devon: Hensley in East Worlington, which is named with the Old English personal name Heahmund and Old English leah "(woodland) clearing", or Hensleigh in Tiverton, which is named from Old English hengest "stallion" (or the Old English personal name Hengest) and leah... [more]
HenwoodEnglish Habitational name from any of various places so named, as for example Henwood in Cornwall, in Linkinhorne parish, which is named from Old English henn 'hen', 'wild bird' + wudu 'wood', or Hen Wood in Wootton, Oxfordshire
HerediaSpanish Habitational name from any of various places in Basque Country called Heredia, probably derived from Latin heredium meaning "hereditary estate".
HeringhSlovak Heringh, no history known, people having these surnames in Slovakia belong to the same family, very untypical for this region - Slovakia in the middle of Europe.
HerndonEnglish Habitational name from a lost or unidentified place, possibly derived from Old English hyrne "corner, angle, nook" and dun "hill, mountain". Alternatively, it could derive from an older form of the toponym Harrowden, composed of hearg "temple, altar, pile of stones" and dun "hill".
HerrickIrish Anglicized form of Irish Ó hEirc "descendant of Erc", a byname meaning "speckled, spotted".
HerringGerman, English, Dutch, Scottish Occupational name for a fisherman, someone who caught or sold herring, or perhaps someone known for eating herring. It could have also been a nickname from the medieval phrase "to like neither herring nor barrel", meaning something of little value.
HerrmanGerman Herrman is of ancient German origin. It is derived from a Germanic personal name made up of the elements heri meaning "army," and man meaning "man." Herrman was first found in Prussia, where the name emerged in medieval times as one of the notable families of the region.
HertzelGerman The ancestral home of the Hertzel family is in the German province of Bavaria. Hertzel is a German nickname surname. Such names came from eke-names, or added names, that described their initial bearer through reference to a physical characteristic or other attribute... [more]
HesslerGerman Topographic surname derived from Middle High German place name Hasel or Hesel (Meaning "Hazel)
HettigeSinhalese From Sinhala හෙට්ටි (hetti) referring to the Chetty caste (primarily composed of merchants and traders) combined with the suffix -ගේ (-ge) meaning "of, home, house".
HeumannGerman Occupational name from German heu meaning "hay".
HiguchiJapanese From Japanese 樋 (hi) meaning "gutter, trough" and 口 (kuchi) meaning "mouth, entrance".
HigueraSpanish Higuera is a local surname; that is, the name was derived from the village or estate where the original bearer of the name once lived or held land. The Higuera family originally lived in the area of Figueroa.
HiguitaSpanish Derives from spanish higuera meaning "fig tree".
HillaryEnglish From the given name Hillary. A famous bearer is explorer Edmund Hillary (1919-2008)
HilleryEnglish, Irish Variant of Hillary. This surname has long been established in the county of Clare in Ireland. It was borne by the Irish president Patrick Hillery (1923-2008).
HillierEnglish Occupational name for a roof tiler or thatcher from Middle English helier "roofer, slater, tiler", ultimately derived from Old English helan "to hide, conceal, cover".
HillockEnglish Name for someone who lived near or on a hillock, derived from Middle English hillok. Essentially a variant of Hill with a diminutive suffix.
HindleyEnglish English (Lancashire): habitational name from a place near Manchester, so named from Old English hind ‘female deer’ + leah ‘wood’, ‘clearing’.
HisaedaJapanese From Japanese 久枝 (Hisaeda) meaning "Hisaeda", a former area in the former district of Wake in the former Japanese province of Iyo in parts of present-day Ehime, Japan.
HoadleyEnglish Habitational name from East or West Hoathly in Sussex, so named from Old English hað / Middle English hoath "heath" + leah "wood, clearing".
HoapiliHawaiian "Attached to the bosom", i.e very, very close. Name given by Kamehameha to his brother and closest high chief.
HoferleGerman (Austrian) Means "Yard Clearing" from a Combination of the Austrian word Höfer meaning "yard" or "court" with the ancient suffix "le" meaning woodland or clearing.
HolcombEnglish Habitational name from any of various places, for example in Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Greater Manchester, Oxfordshire, and Somerset, so named from Old English hol meaning "hollow", "sunken", "deep" + cumb meaning "valley".
HolfordEnglish Habitational name from any of the places named Holford or similar in England, all derived from Old English hol "hole, hollow" and ford "ford".
HollandRomani Holland is an English surname that was adopted by some Romani families that immigrated to England in the 1500s. It is unclear if the surname was simply adopted, or if it an anglicised form of a Romani surname.
HollierEnglish, French Occupational name for a male brothel keeper, from a dissimilated variant of Old French horier "pimp", which was the agent noun of hore "whore, prostitute". Hollier was probably also used as an abusive nickname in Middle English and Old French.... [more]
HollingEnglish Location name for someone who lived near holly trees.
HolyoakEnglish Habitational name from Holy Oakes (Leicestershire) or else a topographic name from residence near a "holy oak" (or "gospel oak") from Middle English holy "holy" and oke "oak" (from Old English halig and ac).
HomolkaCzech From homolka meaning "(cone-shaped lump of) cream cheese". The word homolka itself is derived from homole "cone". This was either a nickname for a mild person or an occupational name for someone who made cheese.
HörbergSwedish The first element is probably derived from a place name starting with hör. The meaning of this element differs depending on which place name it was derived from, examples include harg "sanctuary, altar" (from Höör, Hörby), hö "hay" (from Hörröd), and hörn "corner" (from Hörnefors)... [more]
HörmannGerman The distinguished surname Hormann is of very ancient German origin. It is derived from a Germanic personal name made up of the elements "heri," meaning "army," and "man," meaning "man."
HornsbyEnglish From the name of any of the various places in England so-called or similar, all derived from the Old Norse given name Ormr and býr "farm, settlement".
HorntonEnglish (Rare, Archaic) Derived from the surname Horton or perhaps used to describe a horn maker meaning “maker of horns.”
HorsleyEnglish Habitational name from any of the various places called Horsley in England, all derived from Old English hors "horse" and leah "woodland, clearing", probably referring to a place where horses were put out to pasture.
HorvitzEnglish (American) Surname of Richard Steven Horvitz, a voice actor in Angry Beavers, The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, and Invader Zim.
HorwitzYiddish Derived from the Yiddish pronunciation of the name of the town of Hořovice in Bohemia.
HoshidaJapanese From 星 (hoshi) meaning "star, dot" and 田 (da) meaning "rice paddy, field".
HoshinaJapanese It can be spelled with 星 (hoshi) meaning "star, mark, dot" and 奈 (na) meaning "name, noted, distinguished, reputation", or 保 (ho) meaning "protect", combined with 科 (shina, ka) meaning "department, technology".
HoshiroJapanese 保城 or HOSHIRO would translate to "Castle of Protection"
HoshitaJapanese From 星 (hoshi) meaning "star, dot" and 田 (ta) meaning "rice paddy, field".
HowarthEnglish "From a hedged estate", from Old English haga ("hedge, haw") and worð ("farm, estate"). Likely originating from the Yorkshire village of the same name. Common in Lancashire and recorded from at least 1518, as Howorthe, with an earlier version of Hauewrth in Gouerton dated 1317 recorded in the Neubotle charters.
HowlettEnglish The name Howlett was brought to England in the great wave of migration following the Norman Conquest of 1066. It comes from the Norman personal name Hugh. Howlett was a baptismal name which means the son of Hugh... [more]
HoylandEnglish, Norwegian English (South Yorkshire): habitational name from any of various places in South Yorkshire named with Old English hoh ‘hill spur’ + land ‘(cultivated) land’. ... [more]
HuckabyEnglish Means "person from Huccaby", Devon (perhaps "crooked river-bend"), or "person from Uckerby", Yorkshire ("Úkyrri's or Útkári's farmstead").